The Discovery of the Lascaux Cave Paintings

On September 8, 1940, Marcel went on a treasure hunt. For years, people

had talked about a secret underground passage in the countryside around
their French village. They said that the passage led to hidden treasure. The
French teenager thought he had found the passage when he discovered the
opening to a long vertical shaft. Four days later, on September 12, Marcel
and three of his friends returned to explore it.
This time, Marcel brought an oil lamp to light the way. One after another,
the boys wriggled down the long passageway. Finally, they tumbled into
a huge cavern, and Marcel held up the lamp. By its ickering light, they
noticed a high passage. The friends entered the passage, and Marcel shone
the light on its walls. What the French teenagers saw amazed them.
Herds of horses, oxen, and deer stampeded across the curving cave wall.
The colorful animals seemed to leap off the walls. Excitedly, the teenagers
ran through the cave and found room after room of paintings. They had
found the real treasure of Lascaux.
At rst the four teenagers promised to keep their great discovery a
secret. But the secret was too hard to keep. They told their teacher, who
contacted an expert. The expert said that the boys were probably the rst
modern people to lay eyes on this art. The paintings had been sealed in
Lascaux Cave for at least 17,000 years.
The cave walls are covered with more than 1,500 pictures of animals.
Many of the animals include those that the early people of Lascaux hunted.
Historians believe that the people told stories about the animals and sang as
the artists painted them. But these oral stories are lost forever.

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Writing About History: Narratives

The Discovery of the Lascaux Cave Paintings

Organization
A narrative has three basic parts: the beginning, the body, and the resolution. The
beginning sets the scene and starts the action. The body presents a conict. The
resolution settles the conict and ends the story.
The Discovery of the Lascaux Cave Paintings

beginning

On September 8, 1940, Marcel went on a treasure hunt. For years, people

scene

had talked about a secret underground passage in the countryside around

their French village. They said that the passage led to hidden treasure. The
French teenager thought he had found the passage when he discovered the
opening to a long vertical shaft. Four days later, on September 12, Marcel and

action

three of his friends returned to explore it.

This time, Marcel brought an oil lamp to light the way. One after
another, the boys wriggled down the long passageway. Finally, they tumbled
into a huge cavern, and Marcel held up the lamp. By its ickering light, they
noticed a high passage. The friends entered the passage, and Marcel shone

body

the light on its walls. What the French teenagers saw amazed them.
Herds of horses, oxen, and deer stampeded across the curving cave
wall. The colorful animals seemed to leap off the walls. Excitedly, the

conict

teenagers ran through the cave and found room after room of paintings.
They had found the real treasure of Lascaux.
At rst the four teenagers promised to keep their great discovery a
secret. But the secret was too hard to keep. They told their teacher, who
contacted an expert. The expert said that the boys were probably the rst

resolution

modern people to lay eyes on this art. The paintings had been sealed in

resolution

Lascaux Cave for at least 17,000 years.

The cave walls are covered with more than 1,500 pictures of animals.
Many of the animals include those that the early people of Lascaux hunted.
Historians believe that the people told stories about the animals and sang
as the artists painted them. But these oral stories are lost forever.

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Writing About History: Narratives

The Discovery of the Lascaux Cave Paintings (continued)

Setting
The setting of a narrative is when and where the story takes place. When and where
will your story take place?
On September 8, 1940, Marcel went on a treasure hunt. For years, people

when

had talked about a secret underground passage in the countryside around

their French village. They said that the passage led to hidden treasure. The

where

French teenager thought he had found the passage when he discovered the
opening to a long vertical shaft. Four days later, on September 12, Marcel
and three of his friends returned to explore it.

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Writing About History: Narratives

The Discovery of the Lascaux Cave Paintings (continued)

Characters
A narrative has characters. Characters are the people, or even the animals, in the
story. Who will be the characters in your story?
On September 8, 1940, Marcel went on a treasure hunt. For years, people

characters

had talked about a secret underground passage in the countryside around

their French village. They said that the passage led to hidden treasure. The
French teenager thought he had found the passage when he discovered the
opening to a long vertical shaft. Four days later, on September 12, Marcel
and three of his friends returned to explore it.
This time, Marcel brought an oil lamp to light the way. One after the
other, the boys wriggled down the long passageway. Finally, they tumbled
into a huge cavern, and Marcel held up the lamp. By its ickering light, they
noticed a narrow, high passage. The friends entered the passage,
and Marcel shone the light on its walls. What the French teenagers saw
amazed them.
Herds of horses, oxen, and deer stampeded across the curving cave wall.
The colorful animals seemed to leap off the walls. Excitedly, the teenagers
ran through the cave and found room after room of paintings. They had
found the real treasure of Lascaux.
At rst the four teenagers promised to keep their great discovery a
secret. But this secret was too hard to keep. They told their teacher, who
contacted an expert. The expert said that the boys were probably the rst
modern people to lay eyes on this art. The paintings had been sealed in the
Lascaux Cave for at least 17,000 years.

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Writing About History: Narratives

The Discovery of the Lascaux Cave Paintings (continued)

Point of View
Narratives are told from a particular point of view. Point of view is the person who
is telling the story. If Marcel had been telling the story of the Lascaux Cave
paintings, it would have been written, On September 8, 1940, I went on a treasure
hunt. This is called rst-person point of view. Instead, a person outside of the
storya third-personis telling the story. Will your story be told from a rst-person
or third-person point of view?
On September 8, 1940, Marcel went on a treasure hunt. For years, people
had talked about a secret underground passage in the countryside around

third person
point-of-view

their French village. They said that the passage led to hidden treasure.
The French teenager thought he had found the passage when he discovered
the opening to a long vertical shaft. Four days later, on September 12,
Marcel and three of his friends returned to explore it.

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Writing About History: Narratives

The Discovery of the Lascaux Cave Paintings (continued)

Details
A well-written narrative has factual and descriptive details to make the story
believable and interesting to read. Details help readers to picture what is happening
in a particular time and place and the people involved. What factual and descriptive
details can you include in your narrative to help readers visualize the setting,
characters, conict, and resolution?

Factual details

On September 8, 1940, Marcel went on a treasure hunt.

can be dates.
The paintings had been sealed in Lascaux Cave for at least 17,000 years.
The cave walls are covered with more than 1,500 pictures of animals.

This time, Marcel brought an oil lamp to light the way. One after another,
the boys wriggled down the long passageway. Finally, they tumbled into
a huge cavern, and Marcel held up the lamp. By its ickering light, they
noticed a high passage. The friends entered the passage, and Marcel
shone the light on its walls. What the French teenagers saw amazed them.

Factual details
can be time
periods and data.

Descriptive
details
can describe
people, places,
things, and
actions.

Herds of horses, oxen, and deer stampeded across the curving cave wall.
The colorful animals seemed to leap off the walls. Excitedly, the teenagers
ran through the cave and found room after room of paintings. They had
found the real treasure of Lascaux.

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Writing About History: Narratives

The Discovery of the Lascaux Cave Paintings (continued)

Transitions
A well-written narrative uses transition words and phrases to help tell the order
of events. You may want to use transition words such as later,
later next,
next on, or the
following day in your story.
On September 8, 1940, Marcel went on a treasure hunt. . . . Four days later,

transitions

on September 12, Marcel and three of his friends returned to explore it.
This time, Marcel brought an oil lamp to light the way. One after another,
the boys wriggled down the long passageway. Finally, they tumbled into a
huge cavern, and Marcel held up the lamp.

Copyright Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Writing About History: Narratives